Swedish Explorer

To be fair, Ibagué is probably far off most people’s bucket lists when it comes to Colombia. So much so, that when we told people we were going the most common respect was “Why? There’s nothing to do there”. And sure, compared to other cities in Colombia there’s not much in terms of museums or tourist attractions, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that we truly enjoyed the vibe of the city.

Ibagué is located in the department of Tolima, in the central part of the country. By bus it’s around 5 hours from Bogota and 3 hours from Armenia. Hence, the location is perfect for a one night stop on the way from the capital to the Eje Cafetero. As mentioned before, there’s not really much in terms of “must-do’s”, but the city centre has a nice enough pedestrianised street leading to the Plaza Bolivar, filled with street vendors and people walking, enjoying their afternoon. To be honest, we were happily surprised about just how much life there was, even at three a clock on a Monday afternoon.

All in all, while off most people’s radar and certainly not on the gringo trail, Ibagué is a pleasant city that for sure will give you a taste of the “real Colombia”, whatever that is.